The US has expanded its training of the Taiwanese military to include a program involving the US National Guard, Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday. A source told Nikkei that the training began sometime before spring 2022. In May 2022, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen...
US, Taiwan Conclude Four Days of Trade Talks in Taipei
US and Taiwanese officials concluded four days of talks on trade on Tuesday as the two sides near a trade initiative that will likely anger Beijing. The talks were held in Taipei, and the US delegation led by Terry McCartin, the assistant US trade representative for...
China Says Its Increased Military Activity a Response to US-Taiwan ‘Collusion’
A Chinese official said this week that the rising number of Chinese flights in areas around Taiwan is a direct response to "collusion" between the US and Taiwan, making clear Beijing's motives for its stepped-up military activity. Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for China’s...
Taiwan Defense Ministry Reveals Rare Cooperation With NATO
Taiwan's Defense Ministry revealed on Wednesday that it has sent some of its military officers to a NATO war college in Italy, acknowledging cooperation with the Western military alliance that is sure to anger China. One Taiwanese air force officer, Lt. Col. Wu...
China Launches More Military Drills Around Taiwan Over ‘Collusion’ Between Taipei and ‘External Forces’
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) said it launched more military exercises around Taiwan on Sunday to counter the "collusion" between Taiwan and "external forces" as US and other Western support for Taipei continues to increase. "The exercise focused on land...
US Warship Makes First Taiwan Strait Transit of 2023
A US Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday in the first US transit of the sensitive waterway of 2023. The US Navy's Seventh Fleet said the USS Chung-Hoon made the passage. Entering the new year, tensions between the US and China...
US Sending Delegation to Taiwan for Trade Talks in Move Sure to Anger China
The US is sending a delegation to Taiwan next week for trade talks with Taipei, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said on Wednesday, in a move sure to anger Beijing. The US and Taiwan agreed to hold formal trade talks last year, and the first round was...
Chinese Military Flights Around Taiwan Nearly Double in 2022
Chinese flights in Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) nearly doubled in 2022 as Beijing stepped up its military activity in the region in response to the US forging stronger ties with Taipei. An ADIZ is an area where a country requires aircraft to...
State Department Approves $180 Million Arms Sale for Taiwan
The State Department on Wednesday approved a potential $180 million arms sale for Taiwan amid heightened tensions with China over US support for the island. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the deal was for vehicle-launched Volcano...
Taiwan Extends Mandatory Military Service From Four Months to One Year
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announced Tuesday that Taiwan will extend compulsory military service from four months to one year starting in 2024 as part of her plans to prepare for a future conflict with China. The extended mandatory service applies to men born...